Gas lighter with a manually operable piezoelectric ignition device



Oct. 29, 196 MITSUEI ISHIGURO 3,408,153

GAS LIGHTER WITH A MANUALLY OPERABLE PIEZOELECTRIC IGNITION DEVICE Filed Jan. 31. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l3 8 l8 I2 I72 I57 I INVENTOR NI TSUEI ISHIGURO A T roe/V675 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 3 408,153 GAS LIGHTER WITH A MANUALLY OPERABLE PIEZOELECTRIC IGNITION DEVICE Mitsuei Ishiguro, 31 Z-chome, Kaname-cho, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Jan. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 612,979 Claims priority, application Japan, Apr. 25, 1966,

6 Claims. (Cl. 431-443) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A gas cigarette lighter includes a housing having an upper portion in which is located a tank for the gas fuel which is connected through a discharge pipe to a burner or grate which is oriented below an opening in the top of the housing so that the ignited fiame will project out through the opening. In the lower portion of the housing there is arranged an ignition device which includes a piezoelectric element which is connected to a terminal which extends upwardly and over the burner. A complementary ground terminal is oriented to extend at a spaced location from the positive terminal of the piezoelectric element and is grounded to the cigarette housing at its lower end.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a mechanism for causing the hard striking of the piezoelectric element to effect the generation of electricity and a spark between the terminals located over the burner. The mechanism includes a spring disposed between a hammer and the piezoelectric element which urges the hammer away from the element. An actuating member which is formed as a continuation of the upper portion of the housing may be slidably moved in respect to the housing to compress a spring disposed between the actuating member and the hammer. The actuating member is moved to compress the spring to an amount which permits a detent or locking member to ride up over a groove and then permit the rapid movement of the hammer to engage the piezoelectric element to cause a compression thereof and the generation of electricity. The detent member for the lighter comprises a bore member which is biased downwardly by a spring which is contained in a lateral recess defined in the hammer. In the non-actuated position the ball lies behind a groove of the sliding chamber in which the hammer moves and the ball is moved upwardly against this force of its associated spring after the actuating member has been compressed sufficiently to cause it to do so. Thereupon the hammer member is free to move with great force against the piezoelectric element to produce the flow of electricity and the discharge of a spark across the terminals located above the burner.

A further feature of the inventive construction is that the actuator is provided with a control for opening and closing the discharge line of the gas from the storage tank within the lighter so that the gas valve is opened to discharge gas through the burner when the actuator is moved toward an actuated position.

Brief summary the invention The present invention is an improvement over the prior art particularly in respect to an ignition device for a cigarette lighter which uses a piezoelectric element and does not require the use of fiints which are used in conventional lighters and which must be continuously replaced. The invention is an improvement over the prior art particularly in the details of the construction of the ignition mechanism and also in the arrangement of an actuator member which is connected to open and close a gas valve for the lighter when the ignition device is actuated.

In the preferred form, the ignition device comprises a hammer member which is slidable within a chamber which carries at its inner end a piezoelectric element. The hammer member is biased away from the element by means of a coil spring. An actuator member comprises a cylindrical element having interior guiding elements which are guided inwardly and outwardly along in an axial direction in respect to the hammer and includes a spring disposed between the actuator and the hammer biasing these two parts away from each other. A detent or locking means is provided which includes a bore member which is biased outwardly out of a laterally defined recess in the hammer by a spring to urge the ball to seat behind a ledge and prevent the hammer from moving in a direction toward the piezoelectric element. When the cylindrical actuator member which is formed as a continuation of the lower right-hand corner of the housing is depressed, the spring between the actuator and the hammer is compressed until a force sufficient to move the detent inwardly within its groove is achieved, at which instance the hammer member is immediately forced by the actuator spring to strike the piezoelectric element and cause a sparking at the terminals which are located above the gas burner. The actuator member is also connected to a valve member which is movable therewith to open the connection between the gas tank and the burner to cause the flow of gas therethrough which is ignited by the piezoelectric terminal elements.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a gas lighter having an improved ignition mechanism which includes a piezoelectric element which is struck by a hammer member with relatively great force after an actuator is moved relative to the hammer member to compress an actuating spring with a force sufficient to release a detent holding the hammer against movement toward the piezoelectric element.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an ignition device which includes means for immediately releasing a hammer member to strike the piezoelectric element for igniting gas issuing from a burner and wherein the means for effecting the initiation of the ignition device includes a valve member which is movable to open the gas from the container or reservoir therefor to the burner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gas lighter which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a .better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings ln the drawings:

FIG. I is an axial sectional view through a gas lighter constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but indicating the actuator in an initial compressed condition; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to HO. 1 indicating the ignition device in a fully actuated position.

Detailed description Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a gas lighter generally designated 40 having a housing or casing 12 in the upper righthand corner of which is located a tank or reservoir 4 for gas which may be replenished through a closable opening 4a which is defined in the housing. The gas tank 4 is connected through a discharge line 5 to a burner 23 which is oriented below an opening 42 defined in a top wall 44 of the housing.

In accordance with the invention a cylindrical ignit on device housing 13 for an ignition mechanism generally designated 46 is located within the lower portion of the housing 12. The housing 13 is provided with an interior small-sized bore 17 at the inner end of which is located a piezoelectric element 8 which in the embodiment illustrated comprises two elements arranged with their positive ends facing and their negative terminals widely separated as indicated. The positive terminals are connected to an elongated terminal member 22 which has an upper end which is bent directly over the burner 23. A corresponding negative element 22 is grounded at its lower end and includes a curved upper end which is spaced from the upper end of the positive terminal 22. When electricity is generated in the piezoelectric elements 8, 8, current will flow from the positive terminal 22 to the negative terminal 24 to produce the spark directly above the opening of the burner 23 so that the gas issuing from the burner will burn.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the ignition device includes a hammer member 2 of a cylindrical configuration which is biased away from the end of the outer piezoelectric element 8 by means of a coil spring 18 which is engaged around bosses formed on the piezoelectric element and the hammer. A detent member or locking mechanism includes a ball member 7 which is biased outwardly from a lateral groove defined in the hammer 2 by means of a coil spring 19 and it lodges behind an abutment or ledge 21 to prevent inward movement of the hammer 2 unless an inward force is generated to overcome the biasing force of the spring 19 to permit the ball member 7 to ride up over the ledge and into the bore 17. The ledge 21 is formed bewteen the bore 17 and the larger diameter bore of the housing 13.

An actuator member generally designated 14 includes cylindrical outer walls 14a which form the right-hand end corner of the housing 12 of the lighter. The cylindrical inner wall 10 of the actuator 14 includes a wider diameter portion 1 which rides in the large diameter bore 20 so as to confine the actuator within the housing in association with the housing 13. The hammer 2 includes a small diameter projecting portion 16 which rides within the cylindrical portion 10 and a coil spring is disposed over this portion and abuts at one end against the ledge portion 10a of the actuator 14 and a ledge portion 2a of the hammer member 2.

When it is desired to ignite the lighter. the actuator 14 is moved to the left in the direction of the arrow indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 to initially cause compression of the spring 6 as indicated in FIG. 2. This compression proceeds until a force strong enough to move the ball 7 inwardly against the force of its associated spring 19 is generated. As soon as such a force is generated, the ball 7 will ride up on the ledge 21 sufficicntly to permit the hammer 2 to move inwardly against the lesser force of the spring 18 to permit the hammer 2 to strike against the piezoelectric element 8 as indicated in FIG. 3. When this occurs, the piezoelectric element 8 will cause a spark to jump over the terminals 22, 24 and ignite the flame as indicated at 50 in FIG. 3.

A further feature of the invention is that the actuator 14 carries a valve member 3 which is displaced from the position indicated in FIG. 1 to the position indicated in FIG. 3 to cause opening of the discharge line 5 and the feeding of gas from the tank 4 to the burner 23 when the actuator 1 is moved to the actuated position. The valve member 3 is moved backwardly when the actuator is released in order to completely close the connection from the burner 23 to the tank 24.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

l. A gas lighter comprising a housing, a gas tank in said housing, a gas burner carried by said housing located to discharge gas for ignition out of said housing, conduit means between said burner and said gas tank including a valve, pressure actuated ignition means in said housing including a contact element for producing an ignition spark, a hammer slidably mounted in said housing and adapted to strike said contact element to produce a spark. first spring means biasing said hammer away from said contact element, locking means carried by said hammer including a member engageable with said housing and means to bias said member into engagement with said housing, an actuator slidable in said housing relative to said hammer, a valve member associated with said valve means for closing and opening said valve means for the stoppage or flow and for the flow of gas from said tank to said burner connected to said actuator and being movable upon movement of said actuator to an actuated postiion to open said valve means, and second spring means of greater force than said first spring means biasing said hammer away from said actuator, said actuator being movable in a direction to overcome the force of said second spring means and to cause said member to move in a direction against said biasing means and to unlock said hammer, said hammer being movable rapidly upon unlocking under the force of compression of said second spring means to strike said contact element to cause ignition of gas exiting from said burner by said ignition means.

2. A gas lighter according to claim 1, including a second ignition housing defined within the bottom portion of said housing and having a bore therein containing said spark-producing element, said spark-producing element comprising a piezo-electric member.

3. A gas lighter according to claim 1, wherein said ignition device housing includes an enlarged bore portion in alignment with said bore, said actuator having a widened diameter interior portion slidable in the enlarged bore portion, said locking means including a member which is biased into the large diameter portion.

4. A gas lighter according to claim 3, wherein said actuator comprises a tubular member forming a lower corner of said housing.

5. A gas lighter according to claim 1, including a tubular ignition device housing formed in said housing, said actuator including a tubular member having an inner tubular portion slidable within a bore of said ignition housing and having an outer portion closing said hous' ing, said hammer having a portion slidable in the bore of said ignition housing, said ignition housing including a. widened diameter portion at the outer end forming a ledge between said wider diameter portion and said bore. said locking means including said member being located to cause said member to be biased by said biasing means against said ledge.

6. A gas lighter according to claim 5, wherein said biasing means comprises a coil spring, said member comprising a ball biased outwardly by said coil spring into the large diameter portion and prevent it from moving into the smaller diameter portion by said ledge, said ball being movable inwardly against the force of said spring upon movement of said actuating member to compress said second spring means.

References Cited UNITED BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

10 VOLODYMYR Y. MAYEWSKY, Assistant Examiner. 

